Single-sided ring spinning frame with sliver accommodating cans, and method for supplying slivers to such frame

ABSTRACT

A single-sided ring spinning frame having spinning positions including draft parts and winding parts on a front side of the machine frame, and rows of cans arranged on a rear side of the machine frame. Each can has a plurality of sliver accommodating areas to accommodate a plurality of rows of sliver coils therein. Sliver guides are arranged above the cans. Therefore, the number of the cans is less than the number of spinning positions, and the height of the cans is selected so that an operator can easily handle the sliver in the can. Also, a method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame, and a sliver transfer device used in the method are also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a single-sided ring spinning frame in which a plurality of spinning positions, each including a draft part and a winding part corresponding thereto (including a spindle, a traveler ring and others), are arranged on a front side of the machine, and a plurality of cans are disposed on a rear side of the machine from which slivers are supplied to the draft parts of the spinning positions.

[0003] Also, the present invention relates to a method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame, such as a sliver-to-yarn spinning frame, for drafting the sliver at a high draft ratio to directly form a spun yarn, and a sliver transfer device used for carrying out such a method.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] A prior art single-sided spinning frame of the above-mentioned type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 38-16537 and No. 38-16538 wherein three rows of sliver cans, each can having a diameter three times a spindle pitch, are arranged behind the machine, one or two rows of which are disposed at a height lower than a roller beam and the remaining row or rows thereof are disposed at a height above a draft part. Also, a further prior art single-sided ring spinning frame is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-278972 wherein four rows of sliver cans, each having a diameter four times a spindle pitch, are arranged behind the single-sided ring spinning frame at a height somewhat lower than the draft part. These single-sided ring spinning frames are advantageous in that the roving process can be eliminated to reduce the running cost. Contrarily, they have demerits in that it is necessary to use a number of cans, that are more expensive than the usual roving bobbins, resulting in a rise in the installation cost. Thus, the single-sided ring spinning frames of this type have not been widely used until now.

[0006] The single-sided ring spinning frame of a sliver-to-yarn system has a merit in view of the simplification of installation because yarns are obtained directly from slivers delivered from a drawing frame. However, there is a serious problem in that if the sliver is supplied to the draft part from a can accommodating the yarn produced by a second drawing frame, the sliver is in the leading hook position which is not adapted to smooth drafting operation in the draft part of the spinning frame to deteriorate the yarn quality thus obtained. To solve such a problem, a third drawing process is added after the second drawing process, or a sliver delivered from a carding process is supplied directly to a draft part of a first drawing frame without being accommodated in a card can, so that the sliver delivered from the first drawing process is accommodated in a first drawing frame can in the same position as the card sliver (i.e., in the leading hook position), which sliver is then supplied to the second drawing process and converted in to the sliver in the trailing hook position, thereafter being supplied to the spinning process.

[0007] In the prior art single-sided ring spinning frame disclosed in the above described Publications No. 38-16537 and No. 38-16538, since some of the cans are arranged at an extremely high position, and higher than the draft part, it is very difficult to replace an empty can with a full can when the sliver in the can disposed at such a high position is exhausted and to bring the sliver from the full can to the draft part to piece the same with the preceding sliver. In the above described Publication No. 7-278972, cans are arranged in four rows behind the machine. If the spindle pitch is 75 mm, the can diameter becomes as large as 300 mm, which means that a distance from the rear side of the machine to the rearmost can is as long as 1.2 m. This is a problem in that the space necessary for disposing the cans must be larger and such a long distance is beyond the reach of the operator's hand when a severed sliver is to be repaired. Also, in the prior art, since the number of cans is equal to that of the spindles, a large number of cans must be handled during can replacement.

[0008] As for a method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame, a system provided with a third drawing process wherein slivers are assembled and drafted is redundant in view of sliver quality, because the sliver quality is already satisfactory in the second drawing process. Also, since the third drawing frame is provided with draft parts, the installation cost is very expensive. On the other hand, a system wherein a sliver is continuously supplied from a carding engine to the first drawing frame necessitates a special sliver supplying device between the carding engine and the first drawing frame, which also entails a large installation cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a single-sided ring spinning frame using a smaller number of cans, to reduce the number of cans to be handled during the can replacement operation, and capable of facilitating the threading of the sliver to the draft part.

[0010] Also, another object of the present invention is to provide a single-sided ring spinning frame in which flies or others beneath the machine are easily removable.

[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for supplying slivers to a sliver-to-yarn type single-sided ring spinning frame, and a sliver transfer device used for carrying out this method, capable of avoiding the redundancy of yarn quality and effectively obtaining merits expected from the use of the sliver-to-yarn ring spinning frame (a cost reduction due to simplification of the spinning process).

[0012] To achieve the above-mentioned objects, a single-sided ring spinning frame, according to the present invention, comprises a machine frame, a plurality of spinning positions each including a draft part and a winding part arranged on a front side of the machine frame, and a plurality of cans are arranged in two, front and rear, rows on a rear side of the machine frame for supplying slivers to the draft parts of the spinning positions, the cans being arranged so that each can can accommodate a plurality of rows of sliver coils, and sliver guides provided at a position above the cans for guiding the slivers from the cans to the draft parts.

[0013] In this case, the height of the sliver guides and the size of the cans are selected to be so small that the sliver taken out from the can arranged behind the machine frame can be easily brought by hand to the draft part and the operability is improved.

[0014] Since the cans, each being adapted to accommodate slivers in a plurality of rows of coils, are arranged in front and rear rows behind the machine frame, and the height of the sliver guides and the space behind the machine frame occupied by the cans are so selected that the handling of the sliver is facilitated, the height of the cans becomes lower than the conventional cans and the number of cans can be reduced to half the number of spindles or less, whereby the replacement of cans and the piecing operation of the severed sliver are more easily carried out.

[0015] Preferably, the sliver guides comprise front side guides located at a position higher than the draft part and rear side guides located at a position lower than the front side guide. Alternatively, the sliver guides preferably comprise front side guides movable between a first position higher than the draft part and a second position lower than the first position and on the rear side of the first position, and rear side guides located at a position on the rear side of the front side guides. Preferably, the sliver guides comprise front side guides and rear side guides located on the rear side of the front side guides, and in this case, the rear side guides are provided at a position above a boundary between the front and rear rows of cans, and the slivers in the front and rear rows of cans are guided to the front side guides via the rear side guides.

[0016] Preferably, the can has a trunk portion and a vertically movable support plate in the trunk portion for supporting the slivers. Also, the support plate is provided over a plurality of sliver accomodating areas for accommodating a plurality of rows of sliver coils. The profile of the trunk portion of the can is preferably so formed that the sliver accommodating areas are elongated in a direction along which sliver coils are arranged.

[0017] Preferably, the sliver guide comprises a guide roller for diverting a running direction.

[0018] Preferably, the cans are disposed on the rear side of the machine frame above a floor on which the spinning frame is installed. A can platform is preferably provided on the rear side of the machine frame to define a space between the can platform and the floor for allowing cleaning air to pass therethrough and the cans are placed on the can platform.

[0019] Preferably, the can has a trunk portion with at least one opposite projection so that the projections define end portions of a boundary between the adjacent sliver accommodating areas for rows of slivers. In this case, the projections are formed integral with the trunk portion. The can has an open bottom allowing a spring, biasing the support plate upward, to pass therethrough. The trunk portion and the support plate are formed of a resin material to be light in weight, so that they are mass-produced by a resin molding process.

[0020] According to the present invention, a method is also provided, for supplying slivers to a single-sided spinning frame comprising a machine frame, a plurality of spinning positions each including a draft part and a winding part arranged on a front side of the machine frame, and a plurality of cans disposed on a rear side of the machine frame for supplying slivers to the draft parts of the spinning positions. The method comprises the steps of: taking out a sliver from a finishing drawing frame can in which the sliver is accommodated in a leading hook position and accommodating the sliver in a further can without drafting it, and supplying the sliver accommodated in the further can in a trailing hook position.

[0021] Another method is provided, for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame comprising a machine frame, a plurality of spinning positions each including a draft part and a winding part arranged on a front side of the machine frame, and a plurality of cans disposed on a rear side of the machine frame for supplying slivers to the draft parts of the spinning positions. The method comprises the steps of accommodating a sliver produced by a card in a card can, drafting the sliver taken out from the card can by a first drawing frame and accommodating the sliver in a first drawing frame can, drafting the sliver taken out from the first drawing frame can by a second drawing frame and accommodating the sliver in a second drawing frame can, taking out the sliver thus accommodated in the second drawing frame can in a leading hook position and accommodating the sliver in a further can without drafting the sliver, and supplying the sliver accommodated in the further can to the draft part.

[0022] A sliver transfer device used in a method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame, for taking out a sliver from a finishing drawing frame can in which the sliver is accommodated in a leading hook position and accommodating the sliver in a can having oblong sliver accommodating areas arranged in a side-by-side manner without drafting the sliver. The sliver transfer device comprises a can carriage for placing the can thereon so that the can can move in the lengthwise direction of the oblong sliver accommodating areas, rotatable coiler disks with coiler tubes for guiding the slivers, respectively, provided above the respective sliver accommodating areas of the can placed on the can carriage, taker-in rollers for introducing the slivers into the coiler tubes, respectively, and positioning members provided in the can carriage so as to project from and retract into a top surface of the can carriage for engagement with a pair of positioning engagement portions in the can to position the can in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a single-sided ring spinning frame according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the single-sided ring spinning frame having a travelling cleaner;

[0026]FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2;

[0027]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the can used in the spinning frame according to the present invention, with the can placed on the coiler device;

[0028]FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4;

[0029]FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the support plate;

[0030]FIG. 7 is a view showing the layout of spinning frames in a factory according to the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 8 is a side view of the spinning frame, illustrating the sliver handling operation by the operator;

[0032]FIG. 9 is side elevational view of the spinning frame according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0033]FIG. 10 is a sectional view explaining the relationship between the sliver transfer device and the second drawing frame can;

[0034]FIG. 11 is a view explaining steps of the method of transferring the sliver;

[0035]FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of another can;

[0036]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a further can;

[0037]FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of cans;

[0038]FIG. 15 is a side view similar to FIG. 8 but illustrating a single-sided ring spinning frame having a modified sliver guide means;

[0039]FIG. 16 is a side view of the single-sided ring spinning frame of FIG. 15, with the front sliver guides located at a lower position;

[0040]FIG. 17 is a plan view of a part of the sliver guide means of FIGS. 15 and 16; and

[0041]FIG. 18 is a side view of the sliver guide means of FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a single-sided ring fine spinning frame as a single-sided spinning frame. The spinning machine T has machine frame which defines a longitudinal direction L, a transverse direction M, a front side F, and a rear side R. The machine frame comprises frame parts 1 arranged at a pitch in the longitudinal direction L of the spinning machine T, wherein the respective frame parts 1 are coupled with each other via roller beams 2 extending in the longitudinal direction L at upper ends thereof. On the front side of the frame part 1, a spindle rail 3 extending in the longitudinal direction N is integrally coupled therewith. A draft part 5 including a plurality of draft rollers is provided on the roller beam 2 via a roller stand 4. A three-line drafting structure is employed as the draft part 5, which is adapted to be capable of drafting a fiber bundle at a much larger drafting ratio than that of the conventional ring spinning frame for spinning a yarn from a roving; for example, at most approximately 300 times. As such a draft part 5, there has been known a structure wherein a top back roller is of an apron roller type, a bottom back roller is of a fluted roller type, a second roller is of an apron type, and a guide plate to be in sliding-contact with the apron of the top back roller is provided between the bottom back roller and the second roller (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-144134).

[0043] Spindles 6 are arranged at a pitch (75 mm, in this embodiment) on the spindle rail 3 in the longitudinal direction, and members which are well-known in a ring type winding structure, such as vertically movable ring rails, rings on the ring rails, travelers guided around the rings, and vertically movable lappets, are provided to define a plurality of winding parts 7 in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of spinning positions 8 are constituted by the winding parts 7 and the draft parts 5 corresponding to the winding parts 7, and arranged in parallel to each other on the front side F of the machine.

[0044] A peg conveyor rail 80 for discharging full bobbins and for arranging empty bobbins, and a peg conveyor rail 81 for supplying empty bobbins, are arranged on the front side of the frame and at a space below the spindle rail 2 and the roller beam 3, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 14. The peg conveyor rails 80 and 81 are interconnected to each other at the out-end OE of the frame and the gear-end GE of the frame so that full bobbins are removed from the pegs on the peg conveyor rail 80 at a removing position 83 on or near the out-end OE, and empty bobbins are supplied to the pegs on the peg conveyor rail 81 at a supplying position 84 at or near the gear-end GE, as shown in FIG. 14.

[0045] A can platform or shelf 10 is longitudinally arranged and extends rearwardly from the lower end of the back surface 1 a of the frame portions 1, for placing cans in two, front and rear, rows, which will be described later. The can platform 10 is supported by legs 11 above a floor 12 on which the spinning frame is installed to define a space 13 between the floor 12 and the can platform 10, so that cleaning air can pass through the space 13. A plurality of cans 14 are placed on the can platform 10, longitudinaly adjacent, and in two, front and rear, rows 15 and 16.

[0046] The cans 14 are explained next. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the can 14 includes a trunk portion 17 having a hollow annular side wall 19 and a bottom wall 22, and a support plate 18 for placing a sliver accommodated in the trunk portion 17. The trunk portion 17 and the support plate 18 are molded from resin material. The trunk portion 17 may be formed by bending or assembling resin plates. Accordingly, it is very light in total weight to facilitate the handling of the cans 14.

[0047] The side wall 19 defining a profile of the trunk portion 17 has front and rear wall sections 20 disposed opposite to each other in the transverse direction M along which the can 14 can reciprocatingly moves when the sliver is coiled (the direction of rows A and B of sliver coils) and left and right wall sections 21 disposed opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction L perpendicular to rows A and B of the sliver coils). The interior space defined by the front and rear wall sections 20 and the left and right wall sections 21 are sectioned into two sliver accommodating areas P1 and P2 in the longitudinal direction L, and the front and rear wall sections 20 have projections 20 a extending into the interior space of the trunk portion 17 at a predetermined distance along the entirety of the height of the front and rear wall sections 20 at a boundary between the sliver accommodating areas P1 and P2. Each of the front and rear wall sections 20 is formed so that a plurality (two in this embodiment) of semicircular portions 20 b, each having a radius slightly larger than a coiling radius of the sliver S, are continuously connected to each other. In this regard, the projection 20 a is a connection between the semicircular portions 20 b. As apparent from FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the sliver accommodating area P1 or P2, which is defined by a line N connecting the opposite projections 20 a, the pair of semicircular portions 20 b opposite to each other in the transverse direction M and the left or right wall section 21 contiguous to the semicircular portions 20 b is of an oblong shape having a larger length in transverse direction (the row direction of the row of sliver coils) than in the longitudinal direction N (the row arranging direction). The bottom wall 22 is of substantially the same shape as the cross-section of the trunk portion 17 to close the bottom opening of the latter, and has a circular opening 23 allowing a support plate pushing-up plate 115 disposed on a coiler device 100 described later to pass therethrough. In this regard, the projections 20 a may be eliminated.

[0048] On the other hand, the support plate 18 is formed in conformity with the inner profile of the cross-section of the trunk portion 17 and extends over the accommodating areas P1 and P2 and across the boundary thereof, so that a small gap is left along the inner surface 17 a of the trunk portion 17 so that the support plate 18 can move upward and downward. As shown in FIG. 6, the support plate 18 has ribs 18 a on the lower side thereof along the outer periphery and in the inside thereof, and a hole 18 b for inserting a central pin 119 of the support plate pushing-up plate 115 in the coiler device 100. The transverse width of the can 14 (the width in the longitudinal direction L) is four times a spindle pitch (that is, 300 mm), while the length thereof is approximately 400 mm. The front row 15 of the cans 14 are arranged close to the rear surface 1 a of the machine. Thereby, the distance from the rear surface 1 a of the machine to the rear side of the rear row 16 of cans 14 is approximately 800 mm. The height thereof is approximately 500 mm which is substantially the same as that of the spindle rail 3. Since the support plate 18 extends over the two accommodating areas P1 and P2, it is possible to place the two rows of sliver coils A and B on one support plate 18 and therefore to reduce the number of parts constituting the can 14, which in turn facilitates the production thereof. Also, since the projections 20 a are formed on the front and rear wall sections 20 in an integral manner by the resin mold in this embodiment, the production thereof becomes extremely easy in comparison with a case wherein the projections are formed as a separate member.

[0049] The coiler device 100 for accommodating the sliver S in the can 14 to form rows of sliver coils is now described. In FIG. 5, a carriage base 111 for placing the can 14 thereon is guided to be movable in the row direction (transverse direction M) by guide rails 112. The carriage base 111 is adapted to reciprocate at a predetermined distance in the row direction by the aid of a feed screw mechanism 114 driven by a motor 113. In the interior of the carriage base 111, the support plate pushing-up plate 115 is biased upward by a can spring 116 interposed between the former and the carriage base 111. A through-hole 118 is formed coaxially with the circular opening 23 of the bottom plate 22 in the carriage top 117 for allowing the circular support plate pushing-up plate 115 to pass therethrough upward and downward. An engagement pin 119 extends upward from the center of the support plate pushing-up plate 115. A tow line 120 such as a chain or a rope is connected at its end to a lower end of the engagement pin 119, and the other end of the tow line 120 is coupled to an external movable member 122 of a rodless cylinder 121. The external movable member 122 of the rodless cylinder 121 is capable of reciprocating in the row direction.

[0050] A positioning device is provided in the carriage top 117, for locating the can 14 at a predetermined position on the carriage top. The positioning device includes a pair of front and rear positioning pins (positioning members) 130 adapted to project from and retract into the upper surface of the carriage top 117, and is operated by the action of a cylinder device 131 provided on the lower side of the carriage top 117. The positioning pin 130 is fitted in its projected state into a recessed groove (a positioning section) 20 c defined by the outer surface of the projection 20 a of the front and rear walls 20 of the can 14 so that the can 14 is positioned in two directions; the row direction and the row arranging direction. In this regard, the positioning member 130 may be formed of a plate member or a plurality of pins to eliminate the recessed groove 20 c. A pair of coiler wheels (also referred to as coiler disks) 123 are provided adjacent to each other in correspondence to the two sliver accommodating areas P1 and P2 of the can 14. Each of the coiler wheels 123 delivers the sliver S while the can 14 is reciprocating in the row direction to accommodate the sliver S in the accommodating area P1 and P2 to form a row of sliver coils, respectively. During the coiling motion, the tow line 120 is slackened so that the support plate pushing-up plate 115 is brought into close contact with the lower surface of the support plate 18 by the bias of the spring 116 to push the support 18 upward. Thus, the sliver S being delivered from the coiler wheel 123 is coiled being while compressed between the support plate 18 and the coiler wheel 123, and when the can is full, the tow line 120 is pulled to a position shown in FIG. 5 to withdraw the engagement pin 119 from the support plate 18.

[0051] Since there is no spring within the can 14 for biasing the support plate 18 upward because of using such a coiling device 100, it is possible to increase the amount of sliver to be accommodated in the can 14. Since the cans 14 generally have a shape in cross-section in which rows A and B of sliver coils are arranged in parallel to each other, there is no vacant space when disposed behind the machine closely adjacent to each other, unlike the conventional cans having a circular cross-section, whereby a large amount of slivers S can be stored.

[0052] Sliver guide means 30 provided above the rows 15 and 16 of cans 14 will be described. Creel pillars 31 stands upright on the roller beam 2 at a pitch in the longitudinal direction L. Downwardly inclined support bars 32 extend rearward of the machine T from the creel pillar 31 at such a height that the operator can touch them when the operator stands behind the rear row 16 of cans 14, and reaches a position directly above the boundary between the front and rear rows of cans. Roller support shafts 33 a and 33 b extending in the longitudinal direction L are held between the adjacent support bars 32 at a position closer to the machine T and at free ends of the support bars, respectively. On the roller support shaft 33 a closer to the machine T, front row guide rollers 34 a (front guides) are rotatably held in correspondence to the respective spindles 6 at a spindle pitch. Also, on the rear roller support shaft 33 b, rear row guide rollers 34 b (rear guides) for guiding the slivers S from the rear row 16 of cans 14 are rotatably arranged at a pitch 2P twice the spindle pitch P in the longitudinal direction L. The guide rollers 34 a and 34 b may be integral with the corresponding shafts 33 a, 33 b, respectively, so that they are positively rotated when the shafts 33 a and 33 b are driven by a motor or the like to positively take out the sliver S from the can, or the guide rollers 34 a and 34 b may not be rotatable at all to guide the sliver S while sliding on the surface of the guide roller.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of these single-sided ring spinning frames are installed so that the front sides thereof are opposed to each other with a path 40 interposed between them to define a set 41 of the spinning frames. Two sets 41 of the spinning frames are arranged in parallel to each other so that the rear sides thereof are opposed to each other with a path 40 a interposed between them. In such a manner, a group G of spinning frames are constituted. As seen in FIG. 2, one of the spinning frames in each pair is provided with a support member 42 extending in the longitudinal direction L at the upper end of the respective creel pillar 31. On the support members 42, a pair of rails 43 are attached to extend along the whole length of the machine. A travelling cleaner 45 is mounted on the rails 43 to be reciprocatable in the machine-lengthwise direction. The travelling cleaner 45 is provided with a blow unit 47 and a suction unit 48. A blow pipe 49 is connected to the blow unit 47 and suspended therefrom to confront the front side of the machine; i.e., toward the path 40. A plurality of blow nozzles 50 are projected from the blow pipe 49, for ejecting cleaning air supplied from the blow unit 47 obliquely downward to the spinning positions 8 of the spinning frames installed on both sides of the path. According to such a structure that the front sides of the spinning frames are opposed to each other and the blow pipe 49 having the blow nozzles 50 is suspended between the both, a single blow pipe 49 is commonly usable to one set of spinning frames, which saves the investment for the installation because the respective spinning frame is not always provided with the blow pipe 49. A suction pipe 51 is connected to the suction unit 48, and extends opposite to the blow pipe 49 as seen in the longitudinal direction L toward the rear side of the machine. A suction mouth 52 of the suction pipe 51 opens to the floor 12 on which the spinning frame is installed to apply the suction stream supplied from the suction unit 48 to the floor.

[0054] When the spinning frame is in operation, the travelling cleaner 45 reciprocates in the longitudinal direction L, ejecting the cleaning air downward through the blow nozzles 50 to blow off flies or others from the spinning positions 8. The flies or others thus falling to the floor 12 are forced into the space 13 beneath the machine T and conveyed therethrough to the rear side of the rows of 15 and 16 of cans, at which they are picked up by the suction of the suction pipe 51. In another spinning frame in the set 41 having no cleaner 45, since the suction pipe 51 of the travelling cleaner 45 belonging to the adjacent set 41 of spinning frames is disposed on the rear side of the rear row 16 of cans, the flies or others blowing off therefrom are sucked and removed by the suction pipe 51. Since the cleaning air supplied from the blow nozzle 50 is applied onto the front side of the spinning frame, not directly onto the rear side thereof, there is no risk that a strong blast from the blow nozzle 50 impinges against the sliver S being taken out from the can 14 to fluff the same and deteriorate the yarn quality after drafting.

[0055] If severance of the sliver occurs during the spinning operation in either one of the cans 14 of the front and rear can rows 15 and 16, the operator H pulls the sliver S from that can 14 as shown in FIG. 8 by inserting the hand thereinto, and hangs the same onto the front row guide roller 34 a if that can 14 is in the front row 15 of cans 14 so that the sliver is suspended above the draft part 5. If the can 14 is in the rear row 16 of cans 14, the sliver is hung onto the rear row guide roller 34 b and the front row guide roller 34 a to be suspended above the draft part 5. Thereafter, the operator introduces the suspended sliver S into the draft part 5 from the front side of the machine.

[0056] Next, the can replacement will be described. The machine T is made to stop at a time a little before all the cans 14 becomes empty generally at the same time, all the slivers being supplied to the draft parts are cut at positions somewhat upstream from the back roller of the draft parts. Then, the operator H removes all the cans 14 in the front and rear rows from the can platform or shelf 10. Thereafter, full cans 14 conveyed by a wagon through the path 40 a behind the can platform 10 are placed one by one on the can platform 10, and the slivers S are taken out from all the cans 14 in the front and rear rows 15 and 16 and suspended above the draft parts 5 through the guide rollers 34 a and 34 b in a similar manner as in the case of sliver severance. Thereafter, the operator H moves to the front side of the machine and manually pieces ends of the slivers S suspended above the draft parts 5 with cut ends of the preceding slivers left in front of the draft parts by twisting both the sliver ends together. Then the spinning frame is made to start again.

[0057] During the can replacement, a number of cans 14 are conveyed and handled, but the number of cans to be conveyed is reduced and the operation time for the can replacement is shortened since a pair of rows of sliver coils are accommodated in one can, the number of cans to be handled is reduced to as small as half the number of spindles. Also, the handling of cans becomes easier even though two rows of sliver coils are accommodated therein, because the can is compact in size and light in weight due to its smaller height, and the cans 14 are disposed in a relatively lower height range readily reached by the operator's hand at the highest. Also, since the distance from the back side of the can to the rear side of the machine is made smaller so that the hand of the operator H can reach the sliver in the can, the handling of the sliver, including taking out the sliver S from the can, hanging the sliver onto the sliver guide means and suspending the sliver above the draft part 5, is extremely facilitated.

[0058]FIG. 9 shows another embodiment, wherein the rear row guide rollers 34 b are provided in phase with the front row guide rollers 34 a in the longitudinal direction L and in line with the latter in the transverse direction M. Therefore, unlike the preceding embodiment, the number of the front and rear row guide rollers 34 a and 34 b is equal to that of the spindles, respectively. The slivers S taken out from the front and rear rows 15 and 16 of cans 14, are first hung onto the rear row guide rollers 34 b and then guided to the front row guide rollers 34 a. Since the rear row guide rollers 34 b are located just above the boundary between the front and rear rows 15 and 16 of cans 14, there is no difference between the front and rear rows 15 and 16 of cans in the length of a path through which the slivers travel from the can 14 to the draft part 5 as well as the number of guide rollers to be run over by the slivers. Since the external conditions under which the sliver S travels until reaching the draft part 5 become equal in such a manner, there is no difference in quality between the spun yarns obtained by drafting the slivers S supplied from the front and rear rows 15 and 16 of cans, respectively. Also, since the rear row guide roller 34 b is at a lower height than the front row guide roller 34 a, the length of a vertical portion of the sliver S when taken out from the can 14 approximately in the vertical direction becomes shorter (as seen in FIG. 9), whereby there is less chance of unwanted irregular draft which may occur due to a weight of the sliver itself applied downward thereto. This arrangement of the guide rollers 34 a and 34 b and threading of the slivers S thereto are particularly effective for slivers obtained through combers which are liable to be irregularly drafted by their own weights.

[0059] A method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame and a device 100A for transferring slivers used for carrying out the method will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The aforementioned coiler device 100 is used as the sliver transfer device 100A of FIG. 10, wherein finished slivers S are supplied from second drawing frame cans C3 into a coiler tubes 124 via a lifting roller 126 disposed above the cans 3C, a feed roller 127 and taker-in rollers 125, without drafting the slivers. The respective sliver S fed into the coiler tube 124 passes through an exit opening 124 b thereof formed in the bottom surface of the coiler wheel 123 a or 123 b so that the sliver S forms a row of sliver coils in the accommodating area P1 or P2 in the can 14 while the can 14 are reciprocatingly moved in the row direction. During the coiling, the tow line 120 is slackened so that the support plate 18 is pushed upward by the support plate pushing-up plate 115 in close contact with the lower side of the support plate 18 due to the bias of the spring 116. Thus, the sliver S delivered from the coiler wheel 123 a or 123 b is compressed between the support plate 18 and the coiler wheel 123 a or 123 b while forming the sliver coils, and when the can is filled with the sliver, the tow line 120 is pulled to a position shown in FIG. 10 to release the pin 119 from the support plate 18.

[0060] Since there is no draft mechanism in this sliver transfer device 100A for drafting the sliver S supplied from the second drawing frame, the sliver transfer device becomes simple in structure and can be provided at a lower cost in comparison with a conventional case wherein a third drawing frame is used. By using this sliver transfer device 100A, it is unnecessary to incorporate a spring arranged within the can 14 for biasing the support plate 18 of the can 14 upward, whereby the amount of sliver to be accommodated in the can 14 can be increased. Since the can 14 has a generally rectangular shape in cross-section so that the rows of sliver coils A and B are accommodated in parallel to each other, there is less vacant space when the cans are arranged in close contact with the adjacent ones in a creel yard of the machine in comparison with the conventional cans having a circular cross-section.

[0061]FIG. 11 shows a process for supplying slivers to the single-sided spinning frame. Fibers subjected to a carding action in a carding engine (CARD) are accommodated in a card can C1 through a coiler device belonging to the carding engine, as a sliver in a coiled state. The card sliver is in the leading hook position F1 wherein most of fibers in the sliver have hook-shaped leading ends when the sliver is next processed by a conventional first drawing frame (1ST DF). The card sliver is taken out from the card cans C1, and combined with similar slivers and drafted in the first drawing frame (1ST DF), and accommodated in a first drawing frame can C2 in the trailing hook position F2 wherein most fibers in the sliver have hook-shaped trailing ends. The slivers are further assembled and drafted by a conventional second drawing frame (2ND DF), and accommodated in a standard circular can C3 belonging to the second drawing frame as a finished sliver in the leading hook position F1. A pair of those second drawing frame cans C3 are disposed in correspondence to the coiler disks 123 a and 123 b of the sliver transfer device 100A in FIG. 10. The slivers S from the second drawing frame cans C3 are guided to the coiler tubes 124 of the corresponding coiler disks 123 a and 123 b via the lifting roller 126, the feed roller 127 and the taker-in rollers 125, and accommodated, without being drafted, in the accommodating areas P1 and P2 within the can 14 in a coiled state to form two rows by the rotation of the coiler tube 124 and the reciprocation of the can 14 in the row direction. Thus, the sliver is accommodated in the can 14 in the trailing hook position F2. These cans 14 are disposed behind the sliver-to-yarn spinning frame 1 so that the slivers are supplied to the sliver-to-yarn spinning frame (SF) from the cans 14.

[0062]FIG. 12 shows a can 14A provided with a can spring 116 a incorporated therein. The can 14A has the same profile as the above-mentioned can 14. The can spring 116 a is incorporated in a space between the bottom wall 22 of the can 14A and the support plate 18. If the can spring 116 a is incorporated in the can, the support plate pushing-up plate, the can spring, the tow line, the rodless cylinder or the like may be eliminated on the coiler device side. According to the can 14A, those elements necessary on the coiler device side are the carriage base 111 a reciprocatable in the row direction and a pair of coiler discs 123 provided in correspondence to the respective sliver accommodating areas P1 and P1. Even when the can spring 116 a is incorporated within the can, only one support plate 18 is allocated to a plurality of sliver accommodating areas P1 and P2, which is contrary to the conventional case wherein the interior of the can is completely partitioned to a plurality of chambers, each having its own support plate and a can spring for pushing thereup. In this regard, as apparent from a can 14B shown in FIG. 13, a cross-section of a trunk portion 17 may be generally rectangular. In such a case, projections 20 a may be provided as separate parts projected inward on the front rear walls 20 to be opposed to each other or may be eliminated at all.

[0063]FIG. 14 illustrates a single-sided ring spinning frame T together with cans 14 arranged behind the same. The single-sided ring spinning frame has an out-end box OE which extends rearward from the machine. However, since a gear-end box GE is of the same width as the machine, the two rows 15 and 16 of cans 14 are open to the gear-end box GE side to facilitate the can replacement operation wherein the cans 14 can be brought into or out from the rows of cans from the gear-end box GE side.

[0064] Since the can used in the present invention is small in size, two cans 14 adjacent to each other in the left and right direction or the front and rear direction shown in FIG. 14 may be combined together to be a single can having four sliver accommodating areas and one support plate.

[0065] FIGS. 15 to 18 illustrate a further embodiment of the single-sided ring spinning frame. The spinning frame includes similar members to those of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 14, except for a modified sliver guide means 30E. Therefore, the sliver guide means 30E is mainly described here.

[0066] Support frames 31E are attached to the creel pillars 31 at a position slightly higher than the draft parts 5 and extend toward the rear side of the machine frame T. Rear roller support shaft 33 b extending over the whole length of the creel is rotatably supported by the rear end portions of the support frames 31E. Several support bars 32E are fixed to the rear roller support shaft 33 b in an inclined position so that the front end thereof is lower than the rear end thereof, and a front roller support shaft 33 a extending over the whole length of the creel is fixed to the free end portions of the support bars 32E. Front guide rollers 34 a are rotatably mounted on the front roller support shaft 33 a and rear guide rollers 34 b are rotatably mounted on the rear roller support shaft 33 b.

[0067] Urging members 86 such as tension springs or gas springs are arranged between the upper ends of support rods 31F vertically extending from the rear ends of the support frames 31E and the front end portions of the support bars 32E, to urge the support bars 32E upward. Pivotable handle 87 is coupled to the rear roller support shaft 33 b so that the pivotable handle 87 can rotate with the rear guide rollers 34 b and can pivotally move toward and away from the support frame 31E (see the solid line and the chain dot line in FIG. 17). Stopper 88 is arranged on the support frame 31E to maintain the pivotable handle 87 in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 18 (corresponding to the position of FIG. 15) against the urging members 86, and a stopper 89 is arranged on the support frame 31E to maintain the pivotable handle 87 in the position shown by the chain dot line in FIG. 18 (corresponding to the position of FIG. 16) against the urging members 86. The pivotable handle 87 can be moved between the first and second positions, while moving it away from support frame 31E beyond the stopper 89, as shown by the chain dot line in FIG. 17.

[0068] Therefore, it can be said that the sliver guide means 30E comprises the front guide rollers (front side guides) 34 a movable between a first position (FIG. 15) higher than the draft part 5 and a second position (FIG. 16) lower than the first position and on the rear side of the first position, and the rear guide rollers (rear side guides) 34 b located at a position on the rear side of the front side guides 34 a.

[0069]FIG. 15 shows the sliver guide means 30E in the operating position, and FIG. 16 shows the sliver guide means 30E in the sliver supply position. In the case when the slivers are to be supplied from the cans 14 to the draft parts 5, the operator actuates the pivotable handle 87 to move the front roller support shaft 33 a with the front guide rollers 34 a, from the position of FIG. 15 to the position of FIG. 16. The front guide rollers 34 a are thus moved to the second, lower and backward position in which the operator can more easily supply slivers S. The operator then pull out the slivers S from the cans and hangs the slivers S onto the front and rear guide rollers 34 a and 34 b fitted on the front and rear roller support shaft 33 a and 33 b, as shown in FIG. 16. The operator then actuates the pivotable handle 87 to move the front roller support shaft 33 a with the front guide rollers 34 a, from the position of FIG. 16 to the operating position of FIG. 15 in which the front guide rollers 34 a are located higher than the draft parts 5. The operator then walks to the front side of the machine frame and supplies the slivers S to the draft parts 5. In this way, the front guide rollers 34 a are moved to the second, lower and backward position and the slivers S are hung onto the front guide rollers 34 a at that position, and the front guide rollers 34 a are returned to the first, operating position higher than the draft parts 5. Accordingly, it is possible to easily and promptly carry out the operation for supplying the slivers to the draft parts 5.

[0070] As described above, according to the spinning frame of the present invention, the cans, each accommodating a plurality of rows of sliver coils, are arranged in two, front and rear, rows behind the machine, wherein a height of the sliver guide means above the can rows and a size of the can are selected so that the sliver taken out from the respective can can be guided to the draft part by the operator standing behind the can, whereby it is possible to minimize a size of the can to facilitate the handling of the can, which shortens the sliver replacement time and simplifies the sliver piecing operation when the cans are to be replaced and/or the sliver severance occurs. If the spring is not incorporated in the can, the cost of can itself can be further reduced and the amount of the sliver to be accommodated in the can can be increased to prolong the can replacement period.

[0071] Moreover, according to the present invention, since the space for allowing cleaning air to pass through is formed beneath the cans, it is possible to effectively clean the floor beneath the machine by combining this space with the travelling cleaner blowing cleaning air on the front side of the machine and sucking the same on the rear side of the machine.

[0072] Also, in the method for supplying slivers according to the present invention, the sliver obtained from the finishing drawing frame is continuously taken out from the can and transferred to another can without being drafted. Thus, fibers constituting the sliver are in the trailing hook position which does not disturb the smooth drafting operation even in the sliver-to-yarn spinning frame to result in good yarn quality. For this purpose, it is only necessary to provide, between a second drawing frame and a spinning frame, a sliver transfer device having a function for merely taking out a sliver in a can belonging to a finishing drawing frame and transferring the same to another can. Such a sliver transfer device is inexpensive in manufacturing cost because no drafting mechanism is necessary and advantageous in installation cost over a conventional system having a third drawing process or a special mechanism for coupling a card to a first drawing frame. 

1. A single-sided ring spinning frame comprising: a machine frame; a plurality of spinning positions each including a draft part and a winding part arranged on a front side of the machine frame; a plurality of cans arranged in two, front and rear, rows on a rear side of the machine frame for supplying slivers to the draft parts of the spinning positions, said cans being arranged so that each can can accommodate a plurality of rows of sliver coils; and sliver guides arranged at a position above the cans for guiding the slivers from the cans to the draft parts.
 2. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , wherein the sliver guides comprise front side guides located at a position higher than the drafts part and rear side guides located at a position lower than the front side guides.
 3. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , wherein the sliver guides comprise front side guides movable between a first position higher than the draft part and a second position lower than the first position and on the rear side of the first position, and rear side guides located at a position on the rear side of the front side guides.
 4. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , wherein the sliver guides comprise front side guides and rear side guides located on the rear side of the front side guides, and wherein the rear side guides are provided at a position above a boundary between the front and rear rows of cans, and the slivers in the front and rear rows of cans are guided to the front side guides via the rear side guides.
 5. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , wherein the can has a trunk portion and a vertically movable support plate in the trunk portion for supporting the slivers.
 6. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 5 , wherein the support plate is arranged over a plurality of sliver accomodating areas for accommodating a plurality of rows of sliver coils.
 7. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 6 , wherein the profile of the trunk portion of the can is so formed that the sliver accommodating areas are elongated in a direction along which sliver coils are arranged.
 8. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , wherein the sliver guide comprises a guide roller for diverting a running direction of the sliver.
 9. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , wherein the cans are disposed on the rear side of the machine frame above a floor on which the spinning frame is installed.
 10. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 8 , wherein a can platform is provided on the rear side of the machine frame above a floor to define a space between the can platform and the floor for allowing cleaning air to pass therethrough, and the cans are placed on the can platform.
 11. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 wherein the can has a trunk portion with at least one pair of opposite projections so that the projections define end portions of a boundary between the adjacent sliver accommodating areas for rows of sliver coils.
 12. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 11 , wherein the projections are formed integral with the trunk portion.
 13. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 5 wherein the can has an open bottom allowing a spring biasing the support plate upward to pass therethrough.
 14. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 5 , wherein the trunk portion and the support plate are formed of a resin material.
 15. A single-sided ring spinning frame as defined by claim 1 , further comprising a peg conveyor rail for discharging full bobbins and for arranging empty bobbins, and a peg conveyor rail for supplying empty bobbins.
 16. A method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame comprising a machine frame, a plurality of spinning positions each including a draft part and a winding part arranged on a front side of the machine frame, and a plurality of cans disposed on a rear side of the machine frame for supplying slivers to the draft parts of the spinning positions, said method comprising the steps of: taking out a sliver from a finishing drawing frame can in which the sliver is accommodated in a leading hook position and accommodating the sliver in a further can without drafting the sliver; and supplying the sliver accommodated in said further can in a trailing hook position.
 17. A method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame comprising a machine frame, a plurality of spinning positions each including a draft part and a winding part arranged on a front side of the machine frame, and a plurality of cans disposed on a rear side of the machine frame for supplying slivers to the draft parts of the spinning positions, said method comprises the steps of; accommodating a sliver produced by a card in a card can; drafting the sliver taken out from the card can by a first drawing frame and accommodating the sliver in a first drawing frame can; drafting the sliver taken out from the first drawing frame can by a second drawing frame and accommodating the sliver in a second drawing frame can; taking out the sliver thus accommodated in the second drawing frame can in a leading hook position and accommodating the sliver in a further can without drafting the sliver; and supplying the sliver accommodated in said further can to the draft part.
 18. A sliver transfer device used in a method for supplying slivers to a single-sided ring spinning frame, for taking out a sliver from a finishing drawing frame can in which the sliver is accommodated in a leading hook position, and accommodating the sliver in a can having oblong sliver accommodating areas arranged in a side-by-side manner without drafting the sliver, said sliver transfer device comprising: a can carriage for placing the can thereon so that the can can move in the lengthwise direction of the oblong sliver accommodating areas; rotatable coiler disks with coiler tubes for guiding the slivers, respectively, provided above the respective sliver accommodating areas of the can placed on the can carriage; taker-in rollers for introducing the slivers into the coiler tubes, respectively; and positioning members provided in the can carriage to project from and retract into an top surface of the can carriage for engagement with a pair of positioning engagement portions in the can to position the can in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction. 